The German Aerospace Center, DLR for short, is researching the teleoperation of vehicles.
If an autonomous vehicle does not know how to proceed in a situation, then the human has to help. But where this person is is initially of secondary importance. In the USA, Truck per Remote control monitored and in emergencies the control of the automated vehicle is then taken over from a traffic control center.
This is exactly where it starts DLR on: Research is being carried out into the remote control of these vehicles in order to intervene in an emergency. Because even though many companies are currently level 4 work, this level of automation does not yet mean complete control of the vehicle in all traffic situations. In such cases, the vehicles are usually instructed to find a safe stop and request help from there.
The development is also being considered by the legislation and should take effect in such cases. This can help the technology of autonomous driving to establish itself. Because nobody knows to this day if and when level 5 can be achieved.
At DLR, the focus is primarily on the human-machine interface (HMI) for teleoperation: what are the requirements for a corresponding workplace? There, the monitors collect the sensor data from the vehicles in order to steer the vehicle. This can already be the case when the car comes to a construction site or a solid line that it is not allowed to drive over. But how does the information have to be processed so that a person can navigate the vehicle? After all, one person will monitor several vehicles. This also raises the question of how much time it takes for a person to take control of such a vehicle, to find their way around and how long is human attention required?